Refrigerator



Dec. 13, 1938. L. STRATTON REFRIGERATOR Filed April 22, 1956 4Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR;

ATTORNEY-5' Dec. 13, 1938. STRATTON 2, 3 9

REFRIGERATOR Filed April 22, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 W WZZ ATTORNEY,

Dec; 13, 1938. L. L. STRATTON REFRIGERATOR Filed April 22, 1936 4Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. xwj m ATTORNEY? 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .1

INVENT OR.

llllllllllrthfit M, W ATTORNEYS Dec. 13, 1938.

L. L. STRATTON REFRIGERATOR Filed April 22, 1936 Patented Dec. 13, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR fLore Lee Stratton, Cincinnati,Ohio Application April 22, 1936, Serial No. 75,821 6 Claims. (01.312-492) to the atmosphere, and the cold air quickly escapes. It is alsoa current fault with this type of door that it must be manuallyoperated. This isa disadvantage, particularly when the housewife iscarrying a number of articles to the refrigerator and has her handsfull. A still further disadvantage exists in the fact that the hingesare ordinarily on the outside of the refrigerator, and, despite carefuldesigning, present projections which are unsightly since they tend todestroy the straight lines of the modern refrigerator. the fact that aclear space is required not only in front. of the refrigerator but toone or the other side as well, necessitating right and left hand doors.This increases production costs and requires increased storage space.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved door anddoor arrangement for a refrigerator, as well as an improved operatingmechanism for the door, whereby all of the above mentioned disadvantagesare eliminated. The improved door can be opened any amount. It need beopened only for the pur-' pose of providing access to a particularportion or region of the storage compartment. Moreover, the door isoperated by foot pressure and incorporates a leverage and balancearrangement for easy andrapid operation. "A still further featureresides in the elimination of hinges o]: obtrusive projections, the doorbeing contained within the refrigerator and the opening having theappearance of a receess when the the door, and to means active on thedoor for A further disadvantage resides inpositively sealing the openingwhen the door is closed.

Other objects and further advantages will be more fully apparent from adescription of the accompanying drawings, in which: 5

Figure 1 is a front view of a refrigerator, showing the improvementsincorporated therein.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, showing theinterior cabinet construction and door mounting with the door in closed10 position.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the refrigerator, showing the mechanism foroperating the door.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4, Figure 3, detailing theinterior construction to- 16 ward the rear of the refrigerator.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary rear view of a refrigerator taken similar toFigure 3 but showing the door operating mechanism in position when i thedoor is open. 2

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6-6, Figure 1,illustrating the details of the door and its guide arrangement in there-' frigerator structure.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken 25 on line Figure 1,illustrating in detail the structure at the base of the door.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line H, Figure '7, furtherdetailing the structure of that view.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-8, Figure 3, illustratingone of the guides for the door operating mechanism.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line ln-ln, Figure 4,illustrating one side of the 36 guidesfor the door and door operatingmechanism respectively.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective view with certain of the partsbroken away, illustrating; the structure ofithe door.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of the doorguide.

Figure 13 is a view taken similar to Figure '1, but illustrating thedoor slightly raised.

Figure 14 is a rear view of a refrigerator incorporating a. slightlymodified arrangement of the door.

Figure 15 is a sectional view taken on line l5-l5, Figure 14, showingthe interior construction of a refrigerator incorporating the modifieddoor arrangement.

Referring to the drawings, the refrigerator casing structure isgenerally indicated at 20 andis formed of metal filled with wood flbre(or any other suitable insulation). It is lined, inside and out, withmetal. Legs 2| and a top 22 are incorporated. An opening 23 is providedfor access to the storage compartment 24. In the main form therefrigeration unit 25 is incorporated in a compartment 26 in the base ofthe cabinet. The freezing compartment is generally indicated at 21 andthe food racks at 28.

The door 29 is slidably mounted in guide grooves 30, formed internallyof the cabinet in the respective side walls 3| thereof. Metal guides 32form the guide channels, these metal guides being embedded in therespective cabinet sides 3l-3|,. The opening 23 is of'less width thanthe internal width of the cabinet so as to provide overhanging forwardwall portions 33, behind which the door 29 operates.

The door is made up of a series of transverse slats 34 which form thefront thereof. These slats are flexibly joined by a backing unit 35formed of flexible, corrugated sheets 36 and flat sheets 36 ofinsulating material, forming a laminated backing medium.

In order to maintain the door in sealed engagement with the inner marginof the door opening, spring operated sealing strips 31 are provided, onealong each vertical edge margin of the door. The strips consist oflengths of channel element 38. The rear flange 39 of each channelelement is longer than the forward flange. A rubber strip 40 is securedbetween the arms of each channel element and projects forwardly, beyondthe respective channel element, for engagement with the respective inneredge margins of the door. A rubber strip 4| is mounted in a groove onthe inner side of each overhanging portion 33 of the forward cabinetwall for sealing engagement with the forward face of the door.

The sealing strips 31 are slidably mounted on pins 42, projecting fromthe respective side walls of the cabinet. Brackets 43, extendedangularly upwardly from the rear of the strips 31, are mounted on thepins 42, which pass through slots 44 of the brackets. Springs 45 aremounted, under compression, between fixed abutments 46 and rear flanges41 of the brackets. The springs are held in centered position by meansof studs projecting from the respective elements.

In order to release the door from the pressure of the sealing strips31-31, spreading devices 48, 48 are provided. These devices are in theform of brackets (see Figures 7 and 13), one at each lower corner of thedoor, and they incorporate spaced rollers 49. The brackets includeflanges for attachment of the brackets to the lower edge of the door.The distance between the outer peripheries of the spaced rollers isgreater than the distance between the sealing strips so that, as thedoor is raised, the rear sealing strips are moved away from and out ofcontact with the door, permitting free sliding motion thereof.

As shown in Figure 7, the lower inner edges of the strips are inclined,as at 59, and the lower portions 5| of the guide rails are also inclinedoutwardly, providing clearance for the rollers when the door is closed.This permits the sealing strips to perform their sealing functions. Asthe door is raised, the rollers ride up the inclined surfaces andaccomplish the spreading action heretofore described.

The side guide elements or grooves are continued across and within thetop of the refrigerator, as at 52, joining the vertical guides on curvesof considerable radius (see Figure 2).

The top structure is fabricated for housing-the door as it is raised.The top wall portion of the food chamber 53 is curved downwardly at itsforward end, as at 54, for overhanging the upper rear edge margin. ofthe door when fully closed (see Figure 2). The guide grooves andclearance passageway for the door curve downwardly at the rear of therefrigerator (see Figure 4) Since the door is flexible longitudinally,it can slide around the bends of the guideways.

The door is raised and lowered by a connection of the following nature.Flexible strips 55, one for each sideof the door, are connected to thedoor at its upper edge (see Figure 2). These strips are supported andguided on the extended flanges 56, of angle iron pieces 51, secured tothe innerwalls of the cabinet and following the curvatures of the guideways 5252, respectively.

Displacement of the strips 55 is prevented by the provision of guideplates 58 and spacers 59, secured on the flanges 56 of the angle ironsto provide a guide groove in which the operating strips slide (seeFigure 10). These strips 55 are connected across the rear of therefrigerator by a strap 60 (see Figure 3).

As detailed in Figure 9, angular extensions 6| are provided for eachoperating strip 55, to which extensions the respective ends of the strapare connected by screws 62. The forwardends of the toggle or lazy tongis pivotally attached centrally of the strap 60. The lower 'end isattached to two sets of leverages, one for raising and the other forlowering. The toggle mechanism operates on a pivot pin 64, as a part ofa bracket 65, fixed to the rear side of the refrigerator, the pivotalpoint being at the next linkage above the lower connected end of thetoggle.

The guides for the operating strips are-continued, as at 65, down therear wall of the cabinet at each side thereof. The door raising leverageconsists of a lever 14, pivoted on a bracket 15 on the bottom of therefrigerator, and includes a foot treadle portion 16 at its forward end.The rear end of this lever 14 is connected to the lower end of the lazytong by a link 11.

The door lowering leverage consists of a footoperated lever 66,pivotally mounted on a bracket 61, fixed to the bottom of therefrigerator. A treadle portion for foot contact is provided at theforward end of the lever, as at 68. The rear end of the lever 66 isconnected to a lever 69, pivotally mounted on the back of therefrigerator by means of a link 10.

A bracket 1| provides the pivotal mounting of the lever 69 and includesa pivot pin 12 disposed in a longitudinal slot 13 of the lever 63,permitting sliding as well as pivotal movement to allow the end of thelever 69 which is cdnnected to the lower end of the toggle or lazy tongmovement to travel in a vertical path. as opposed to an arcuate path.

The weight of the operating mechanism is calculated to offset the weightof the door so that a balanced condition exist making it possible tooperate the door through the motion increasing mechanism, namely, thelazy tong, without undue efiort. Long levers are provided between thefoot and the lazy tong. The operator can place considerable pressure onthe foot-operated levers, that is, practically his or her entire weight.There is enough friction between the door and its guides for causing thedoor to remain in any position at which it is left. When the door isopened the lazy tong mechanism assumes the position shown in Figure andthe door is then disposed in a horizontal position within the top of therefrigerator.

If desired, the parts can be reversed, as shown in Figures 14 and 15;that is to say, the refrigerator unit 25 may be mounted in the top ofthe refrigerator, within a compartment 80. fI'he guide tracks for thedoor are then disposed across the lower end of the refrigerator, beneaththe floor 8! of the food compartment. The same mechanisms are employedas in the previousform. r In this form, a sealing strip 82, disposedacross the inner end of the door, engages for sealing purposes, a lip 83on the fioorof the food compartment.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a refrigerator, a cabinet structure, including a food compartmentand an opening thereto, a door disposed across said opening within thecabinet, said cabinet including guide grooves for said door extendingvertically at each side of the opening and continuously across andwithin the upper portion of the cabinet, said door being flexiblelongitudinally whereby it can be moved in the guides, a toggle devicedisposed for vertical movement at the back of the refrigerator andattached to one -end of the door, and re spective mechanisms for raisingand lowering said toggle device for moving the door from horizontalposition to vertical or closing position and from vertical or closingposition to horizontal position respectively.

2. In a refrigerator of the type including a mechanically cooled cabinetstructure, said cabinet including a food compartment having an openingin its forward wall, said opening of less width than the interior widthof the food com-,

partment, a slidably mounted .door lying against the margins of saidopening, spring pressed sealing strips disposed along the side edges ofthe door and engaged against the margins thereof, spreading devices, atthe end of the door for displacing said sealing strips, whereby they donot interfere with sliding movement of the door, said door of flexibleconstruction longitudinally,

guide means for the door in its normally closed 55 position, said guidemeans continuing across the top of the refrigerator, 9. footv treadlefor raising ,the door, a foot treadie for lowering the door,

and a motion increasing mechanism attached to.

the treadles and the door.

I 3. In a refrigerator of the class described, a cabinet structurehavingan opening in its forward wall, a slidably mounted door disposedover said opening and lying against the inner margins thereof, sealingmeans" for urging said sliding door against said margins, foot operatedtreadle mechanism for moving the door from its position across saidopening, and spreader means on the door for displacing said .sealingmeans as the door is opened.

4. In a refrigerator of the type including a mechanically cooled cabinetstructure, said cabi-.

net including a food compartment having an opening in its forward wall,said opening of less width than the interior width of the foodcompartment, a slidably mounted door lying against the margins of saidopening, yieldably mounted sealing strips'disposed along each side edgeof the door and'engaged against the respective inner edge marginsthereof, spreading devices at the lower ends of the door for displacingsaid sealing strips, whereby they do not interfere with sliding movementof the door, said door of flexible construction, guide means for thedoor containing the same in its normally closed position and continuingwithin the refrigerator, a foot treadle' for opening the door, a foottreadle for closing the door, and a motion increasing mechanismconnecting the treadles and the door.

5. In a refrigerator structure, a cabinet in cluding a food compartmenthaving an opening thereto, a longitudinally flexible door disposedacross said opening and engaging the inner surface of the forward wallof the cabinet, said cabinet including grooves for guiding said door,means for sliding said door in said grooves, and spring-urged sealingstrips mounted within the cabinet yieldingly engaging the margins of thedoor for sealing the same when in closed position.

6. In a refrigerator, a, cabinet structurev including a food compartmenthaving an opening for access thereto, a door slidably disposed acrosssaid opening within said cabinet, means for guiding said door, a togglemechanism connected to one end of the door, foot treadle mechanismsconnected to the operating end of the toggle mechanism, one of said foottreadle mechanisms closing the door upon downward movement and the otheropening 7 the door upon downward movement, said foot treadle mechanismsconveniently located for foot operation.

L.VLEE s'raa'rron.

